Israel Ramps Up Gaza Offensive After 13 IDF Soldiers Killed

byBen Plesser, James NovogrodandElisha Fieldstadt

Israeli soldiers treat wounded comrades at an army deployment area near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, on July 20, 2014. At least 40 Palestinians were killed as Israeli forces pounded northern Gaza, sending thousands fleeing in terror on day 13 of the deadliest assault on the enclave in five years. JACK GUEZ / AFP - Getty Images

Thirteen Israeli troops were killed overnight Sunday in Gaza, according to the Israeli Army, sparking the declaration that Israel was sending additional forces to the ground to "combat terror."

An armored troop carrier which was moving into the neighborhood of Shejaia took a direct hit from a shoulder-launched anti-tank missile, leaving seven Israeli soldiers dead, an Israeli security source told NBC News. Six more Israeli soldiers were killed in the fighting that followed, the source said.

Fifty-three Israeli soldiers were injured during the ground offensive on Sunday, and five of those were seriously injured.

Israeli shelling on Sunday left more 110 Palestinians dead, including women and children, a Ministry of Health spokesman told NBC News.

The rising death toll on both sides marked the deadliest day in the conflict since Israel started an air offensive on July 8, and the U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency session Sunday night to discuss the ongoing incursion.

Israel launched 87 rockets on Sunday and more than 1,800 rockets since the beginning of the conflict, the Israeli army said.

In remarks Sunday with Khalid Bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Israel to "exercise maximum restraint and do far more to protect civilians."

Last night, 13 soldiers from the Golani Infantry Brigade fell protecting the people of Israel.

At least 460 Gazans have been killed since the conflict began, the Ministry of Health official said. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) set up more than 61 shelters on the Gaza Strip for the 81,000 displaced residents seeking shelter, UNRWA Spokesperson Chris Gunness told NBC News.

Doctors in Gaza said that hospitals are serving dual purposes: to treat the wounded and to shelter those in danger. But Gazans can't even be assured safety in medical facilities, according to Doctors Without Borders, who called on Israel to "stop bombing trapped civilians."

“This figure far exceeds the number seeking refuge with us in the 2008/2009 conflict, and it is continuing to rise,” Gunness said.

“While official claims that the objective of the ground offensive is to destroy tunnels into Israel, what we see on the ground is that bombing is indiscriminate and that those who die are civilians,” said Nicolas Palarus, a Doctors Without Borders field coordinator in Gaza.